Glimpses of the Past
by aleexmariee
Summary: A continuation of Lin and Tenzin's relationship after a missing moment in the Season One Finale where Tenzin comforts Lin on the loss of her bending.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Lin's stoic expression was the only thing Tenzin had been able to focus on for the past fifteen minutes. He'd been as subtle as possible, trying not to outright stare both for her benefit and his, but no one was paying him any attention anyway. Pema's eyes were glued to the baby in her hands, purposely avoiding his own blank face. Everyone else gave their undivided attention to the door that contained Korra and his mother, praying for good news.

Guilt was what clouded Tenzin's mind, as he tried not to stare at Lin's stony expression. He was guilty that his thoughts didn't even really drift to Korra's fate - he was far too concerned with his ex-lover's. Of course the news of Korra's loss of bending was devastating, but it had quickly fallen away from his thoughts as Lin's sacrifice took forefront. Though everyone else in the room probably accepted Lin's emotionless face, Tenzin didn't miss the way that her nails bit into her arm and the shiver that ran through her body every few minutes. He knew Lin better than everyone here put together and she was certainly not okay.

It was a mirrored gesture. His palms hurt from the unkept nails digging into his skin, but it was necessary. The desire to request that Lin come outside with him in an attempt to stop some of her misery was almost overwhelming. He needed something to ground him.

He was guilty for his wife, his family, for what he'd done. But nothing could change that now, and he certainly wouldn't even if he had the chance.

Only his mother opening the door and solemnly shaking her head was enough to drag Tenzin's attentions away from for a moment Lin. Bad news. That meant bad news for Lin, too, and she slipped silently from the room at that confirmation. Sometimes he thought she should have been an airbender herself.

After a quick glance at his wife, he followed her, making his own swift exit and following her small footsteps through the snow. No doubt Pema would note his absence. He was quite sure comforting Lin meant more than a meaningless argument with her. Still, there was only so far he could push her, Pema would snap eventually. He'd started treading down a dangerous path with his decision on Oogi.

Tenzin followed the footfalls, but he could have found Lin blindfolded. He knew exactly where she was going.

It was a place they had liked to visit together, when they were younger. Or, maybe not enjoyed, but it had been special, at least. Though his father's body had been buried at the Southern Air Temple, his mother had wanted a memorial of sorts in the South Pole, so that she could feel close to him still. This was where Lin was standing, staring blankly at the small statue depicting the previous Avatar's glider, arms wrapped tightly around her midriff. If the weather wasn't so volatile, Tenzin didn't doubt that his mother would have grown plants around the model.

"Please go away," Lin's voice was as brisk and stoic as ever, there wasn't even the slightest indication she felt dead inside. But Tenzin knew better. He approached slowly, coming to a half a few steps from the icy wind whipped around them, but Tenzin refrained from using his bending. The cold wasn't his main concern.

Still, Tenzin fumbled over his words. He might know the woman as intimately as a person could know someone, but knowing what to say was almost impossible. "I'm sorry." It was the wrong thing to say, he knew it before the words had left his mouth, but he had to say something and the sentiment was true.

"You don't have anything to apologise for, Tenzin." Voice snappy, Lin's eyes didn't drift at all from the weather-battered statue in front of her. Aang had been like her father; been more of a parent to her than either of her biological family. "I made my decision."

His overwhelming urge was to embrace her, but he held back. She wouldn't want it. She probably loathed the fact he was even standing here. "And I shouldn't have allowed it. I was a fool."

"You're not my boss, Tenzin. I can do what I want." He'd slipped up again, just like he always did. His advice for the Avatar was always sound, he'd been able to handle most of the situations she'd put forward to him, but Lin was something else.

"That isn't what I meant." He let out a sigh, trying to clear his mind. "I should have been quicker going after you. I shouldn't have waited so long. I shouldn't have let you go in the first place, at least, not alone. I am sorry, Lin, I really am." His breath caught and he was forced to stop speaking. He hated himself for it. He'd let her go, let Lin sacrifice herself for him, and taken that long to go after the woman he had always loved. He was a coward and he'd never forgive himself for what had happened to her.

This was when she finally turned around to stare at Tenzin, blinking in surprise as she assessed how genuine Tenzin had actually been. "You came back for me?" Her bottom lip wobbled, but the crack in the mask didn't last long. "You're an idiot, Tenzin. I wasn't worth coming back for."

His heart clenched. "Yes you were." The words had left his mouth even before she'd stopped speaking. "Of course you were. Lin, I'm sorry that it took me so long to come back for you." His hands were moving erratically, giving away his heightened emotions, but Lin's back had been turned already. "I would do anything to go back and stop this happening. I should have gone instead."

"Don't be a fool. The only thing wrong with this outcome is that you still got captured because you felt guilty and came after me. Go and find your wife and apologise for being an idiot." Her voice was colder than the gusts of wind which circled them and Tenzin couldn't hold back his flinch.

Mind travelling back, he remembered vividly his family's faces when he grasped his glider and told them to keep flying, no matter what. He had chosen her over them. Even now, he'd rather be standing here offering any comfort he had to give than attempting to fix the cracks he'd forged in his marriage. He really was a fool. "Lin, please. I just want to help."

"What do you think you're going to do?" Lin threw her hands up in a first real sign of emotion, turning on him and pointing an accusing finger. "Are you going to bring my bending back, Tenzin? Because if that's the case then go right ahead, if not, then could please just fuck off."

There was only a moment of hesitation before Tenzin decided there wasn't anything else he could do. Lin struggled for a moment when he wrapped his strong arms around her in a tight embrace, but it didn't take long before they were sobs that racked through her body instead.

Though tears also rolled down his own face, Tenzin managed to give Lin no indication of his upset. He simply held her, allowing all her emotions to come out. This was about her, not him. Tenzin wasn't sure his heart could take this broken Lin any more, he just wanted her to be okay.

Still, shame laced his thoughts as he held the smaller woman close to him. It was the first time he'd held Lin in the longest time, not for want of imagining it, and it set his skin on fire just as much as in his dreams. It was neither the time nor the place, but as his chin rested atop her head and he smelt her hair, it was familiar and wonderful that his arms tightened significantly. He'd wanted this so much, even if he tried to tell himself it wasn't true.

"Everything's going to be okay, Lin." Tenzin whispered against her ear as reassuringly as he could manage, secretly revelling in the feeling of his lips touching her hair.

"I don't believe you." Lin's voice was broken as she held him without restraint.

"You have to realise how much you mean to me." It was barely a whisper and part of him hoped that she didn't even hear him. The way her hands balled fists into his robes suggested otherwise, though.

"Lin? Tenzin?" His mother's surprise wasn't masked well and it was certainly enough to make Lin pull back and wipe her eyes. It was the first time the cold had properly bothered Tenzin since leaving the house. "I think you should come back to the house. There's something you should see."

Lin spared Tenzin one more glance, eyebrows knitting together at the glistening their eyes shared, before following Katara back towards the house. Tenzin followed, trying his best to contain his feelings. Pema and his family would be there.

Even Lin's step faltered in surprise at the sight of the Avatar firebending in front of her friends and family. Tenzin's heart lifted, not only for Korra, but also for the possibility of Lin's happiness. Katara had obviously found them for this reason.

"What happened?" Tenzin inquired of his mother eagerly.

"Korra connected with her spiritual side," Katara gestured to Lin. "You should go and speak to her."

Tenzin lingered around the back of the group of people, making sure that he was out of the line of sight of his wife. When Lin knelt before Korra and the Avatar lit up, Tenzin couldn't stop the relief colouring every feature.

Lin's smile was radiant as she bent the earth around them. He knew she was trying not to cry.

After congratulating the Avatar on her spiritual success, Tenzin found himself stood next to Lin. They stood in silence, until Tenzin almost stumbled on the sudden shift of Earth beneath his feet. His retaliation was immediate, sending a gust of wind towards her face, secretly hoping that it would be enough to dislodge the clips holding up her hair. It didn't work. They shared a smile that hadn't existed for the past fifteen years.

"Thanks Airhead."


	2. Chapter 2

**_I couldn't resist :3 This chapter is super long too! I've got the feeling that I'll almost definitely continue this and if I do, then the rating will almost definitely go up ;) Thanks a lot to all the people who reviewed! Means a lot :D Hope this chapter is good!_**

_Chapter Two_

Formal gatherings at the town hall were far from Tenzin's favourite occasions. Today was different, though. Not only did the instating of President Raiko mean that he had less pressure regarding city-wide decisions, but it meant that plenty of visitors from all over the four nations had come to visit.

Including Ursa.

It was far too long since Tenzin had seen his childhood friend and greatly missed her company. But being Firelord wasn't a small burden, so Tenzin understood her absence.

Ursa wasn't his best friend, though: she was Lin's first and foremost. And a happy Lin made for a happy Tenzin, generally speaking.

Tenzin and Pema held hands as they ascended the stairs to the city hall together, blinking against the excessively bright lights that lit up the building. Though it wasn't yet perfect, Pema had forgiven Tenzin in stages, having admitted that maybe she was wrong to have wanted Tenzin not to go after one of his longest friends. Tenzin was still conflicted on what the right thing to have done was. He knew that really, the right thing would have been to go after Lin without even having to think about it. This wasn't what he told Pema, though. To Pema he just apologised profusely. Rohan was at home with a babysitter, but the rest of his children flocked around him, no doubt ready to cause significant havoc in the formal setting.

As he took note of the effort everyone seemed to put into their appearance for such events, Tenzin was extremely grateful for the loose air acolyte robes he had an excuse to wear everywhere. He almost stumbled when he saw Lin across the room, chatting animatedly to Ursa.

It wasn't just the fact she was clearly enjoying herself, though; it was Lin's appearance that really tore at Tenzin. Emerald green, just a shade darker than her eyes, was covering Lin's still impressive body in the form of a shimmering full length dress that revealed both collar bone and the entirety of her arms. Lin was even wearing make-up, subtle, but definitely there with a thin line of black above her eyes.

But even this wasn't what _really _made Tenzin's eyes widen and his pulse quicken. Her hair was down, even longer than he'd originally thought, caressing the small of her back tauntingly. He wanted nothing more in that moment than to go and run his fingers through it like used to.

This lapse had to be short-lived, however, because his hand was still laced through his wife's and it wouldn't be long before she followed his gaze to the beautiful woman.

"I don't want to stay too long tonight." Pema told him in an intimate whisper that wouldn't be overheard. He knew she hadn't seen Lin yet by the placid expression on her face. "Being away from Rohan feels...weird."

Tenzin nodded in understanding. "Of course, dear."

"Did you say Ursa was here?" There was only a hint of distaste in Pema's voice. Though Ursa hadn't been quite so subtle in making it clear she didn't like Pema, his wife had been much more respectable about the situation. Tenzin got the feeling it was because she was intimidated by the Firelord, more than anything.

Then Pema blinked. "Lin looks nice."

Tenzin pretended to sweep the room, as though has hadn't already seen her. "Ah yes, I didn't even realise her hair was that long." His tone was stable, but he knew his words had been stupid.

Pema fixed him with an unimpressed look, but thankfully Ikki was there to interrupt the conversation. "Korra looks so pretty in her formal dress." She beamed, bouncing up and down excitedly. It was clear the kids were going to be a handful tonight, but despite this, Tenzin was already thinking of ways to pawn them off on people so that he could dance with Lin. "Can we get pretty dresses like that, daddy, please? Please?"

"Ah, President Raiko." Tenzin greeted, his inappropriate thoughts slipping to the back of his mind as his social etiquette took automatic forefront. He was also saved from answering his daughter. "Congratulations."

They shook hands and Tenzin resisted the urge to grimace. Whilst Tenzin was happy at the idea of a president in general, Raiko wasn't exactly the first person he would have picked. A flicker of annoyance also gnawed at him as Lin began talking to some younger, far more handsome man who was quite clearly flirting with her. He had no right, he knew, but it was in built and he couldn't help it. Selfishly, he'd been absolutely relieved Lin had never had an overly serious relationship these past 15 years.

Another voice being added to the conversation was what returned Tenzin's attention to the present. "Kya." He greeted fondly. All his siblings were also here for the occasion. As was the general of the United Forces, Iroh. "I'm surprised you're not with Ursa." The three girls had been inseparable, well, apart from the time Lin had been spending with him, of course.

"I think I'll enjoy watching Lin shift uncomfortably in that outfit from a distance a while longer." She teased, throwing a knowing look at Tenzin that had him resisting the urge to shift uncomfortably himself.

Tenzin managed to just roll his eyes at her comment. "Well I'm going to talk to her now, are you coming?" He wasn't entirely sure whether he actually wanted her to be there or not. No doubt Ursa would have enough irritating glances that thought they knew anything about his feelings already.

"Sure." Kya grinned, whilst Pema looked tempted to excuse herself. Tenzin couldn't blame her.

"Ursa, it's so good to see you." Tenzin greeted her with a familiar hug, his happiness genuine. "Lin." He greeted a little more formally, gaze lingering on her collar bone for only an instant.

"So, how have you been Tenzin? How are the children?" Whilst Ursa wasn't overly keen on his wife, she doted on his children whenever she had the opportunity, giving them affectionate looks and spoiling them in a way Tenzin could never bring himself to.

"We're excellent." Meelo answered for him. "But hungry." He proceeded to whine. "And there's _so _much food over there."

Pema chuckled, almost in relief. "Come on, we can go get some food before it all disappears." She assured him. "Nice to see you again Ursa."

"Likewise." Ursa's smile dimmed and she rolled her eyes when Pema was gone. "I really don't know what you see in her." Ursa was nothing if not a _bit _of a bitch and Tenzin really didn't want to have this conversation with Lin stood right there; especially when he planned on stealing a dance from her at some point. "Anyway, Lin and I are off to chat to that handsome fellow who's just come in. You coming Kya?"

"Of course." His sister beamed. "See you later Tenzin."

Tenzin just about managed to hide his scowl until the three women had vanished into the crowd. _You have no right_ he attempted to remind himself once more, before giving up and going to find his children. He should give up on his foolish, selfish hope that he'd get to dance with Lin and leave early. Save them both the trouble. Maybe she'd even turn down his dance and it would save him the embarrassment.

He didn't quite believe that, though.

The food did smell nice, Tenzin had to admit, as he approached his wife and children. But his appetite was lacking, which was almost a shame considering how much of the budget had gone into this buffet.

"I really hate this stuff." Pema complained, trying desperately to wipe Meelo's face and hands before he destroyed someone's outfit with second hand food. "I bet the president wouldn't even notice if we left."

Tenzin forced out a chuckle, slightly irritated by the perceptive look his eldest daughter was giving him. "I'm not so sure about that, but I agree, they do drag on. At least now Tarrlok's gone it shouldn't happen as often."

His whole family looked relieved by that, apart from Ikki, who was still upset about her lack of a dress. Pema opened her mouth, looking ready to suggest that they head off rather sharpish, especially now that Tenzin had spoken to Ursa, but was surprisingly interrupted by a man he didn't overly recognise. Pema seemed to know who he was, though, and offered a polite smile.

It was almost odd and completely unreasonable that Tenzin saw the fact this man had asked his wife to dance as an opportunity rather than a slight, like he did with Lin. Even Jinora raised a slight eyebrow at Tenzin's lack of concern at the man who led his wife away. "He looks a bit sleazy."

Tenzin raised his shoulder in a one armed shrug, giving a small smile to his daughter. "Your mother deserves some fun and she looked like she wanted to. She could have turned him down if she wanted. Let's go and find your Aunt Kya." He eased the conversation, and them, slowly towards Lin.

They were still talking to the well-to-do guy Ursa had pointed out and Tenzin was less than impressed by the way Lin's hips were angled towards him and the small, barely perceivable smile that danced over her lips. It was a hell of a lot more than Tenzin could get out of her.

"Back so soon?" Ursa queried with a barely contained smile. "Where's Pema?"

"Dancing with a gross man." Ikki stuck her tongue out with disgust that Tenzin knew he should have been feeling.

Tenzin rolled his eyes at his daughter, deciding not to bother commenting. Instead, he eyed the man Lin was still talking to. He was younger even than Tenzin had thought and just as attractive. The amusement that shone in Lin's eyes as he cracked a joke was genuine and Tenzin wanted to punch something.

"I really have to go and speak to the president." So he was someone with status. Even better. "It was really lovely to meet you Lin." When he pressed a kiss to Lin's knuckles, Tenzin visibly squirmed, grateful that no one was looking at him.

Ursa raised an amused eyebrow at Lin when the man had gone. "You seemed to hit it off."

Lin rolled her eyes in the exact same fashion Tenzin had minutes earlier. "He must be half my age. I'm not interested." The slight pinkness that didn't normally blossom on her cheeks said otherwise, though.

"Sure." Ursa smirked sarcastically. "I believe you."

Lin only appeared to notice that Tenzin was there now and the redness on her cheeks actually increased. Did she feel embarrassed at flirting with a guy in front of him? Or was she just pleased by his obvious discomfort? "Would you care for a dance, Lin?" Tenzin found himself asking, despite every bone in his body telling him it was a bad idea.

Lin frowned for only a fraction of a second before shrugging and accepting. "Aunt Kya is in charge." He informed his kids seriously.

Tenzin was only half grateful that it wasn't a very slow song playing. Whilst it prevented awkwardness, the idea of holding Lin close and swaying lightly did strange things to him. "How are you enjoying the party?" He asked Lin politely, more than slightly aware of the places they were touching.

"You asked me to dance to make small talk?" She inquired of the bald man, confusion barely masked by the classic bite of annoyance.

Tenzin paused, focusing on their dance for a few minutes before attempting to speak again. "You look-" he'd been about to say radiant, before remembering that he said that too often for her to take it seriously. "Really beautiful tonight, Lin."

To his satisfaction, her cheeks turned properly red. "You know Ursa. She absolutely forbid me to wear my uniform."

Tenzin chuckled. "I'll have to thank her for that later." The language came almost naturally to Tenzin. It was as if the last fifteen years hadn't happened when he complimented her and they joked his way. It _almost _made him wish the last fifteen years hadn't happened.

There was silence for a few moments, aside from the tuneful music, as Lin struggled to maintain eye contact with Tenzin. It was obvious that she was confused as to why Tenzin was here dancing with her, but he couldn't explain it himself. After years of not having any kind of relationship, other than the odd frosty comment, being on neutral terms with Lin seemed like a miracle. He was suddenly overwhelmed by her, actually smiling that genuine smile at him. He wanted to swim in all these positive reactions he was getting. It made him feel oddly complete.

"Well this certainly isn't what I was expecting from tonight." Lin commented with a rare smirk. "Shouldn't you be socialising, councilman?" There was the implication that he should be socialising with his wife in her voice. Tenzin knew this was a one-off, though. One that he just couldn't afford to miss. Ursa would be gone soon, Lin would be back in her uniform and although she was just as attractive to him, this was a special occasion. She'd probably go back to hating him after they'd all recovered from Amon's attack. It had only been less than a month ago, after all.

Tenzin shrugged noncommittally. There was no point in answering her question. Neither of them _really _knew what exactly was going on. "There's plenty of time to socialise." He settled on after another moment of silence.

"Isn't socialising more fun that dancing with me?" Lin replied instantly. It was a completely loaded question, of course, and Tenzin hesitated before answering.

"Of course not." The casual way in which he said it didn't at all compensate for the actual meaning it had. The way that their grip on each other tightened _did, _though. This was when Tenzin really started to feel guilty about the way he was acting. It was utterly selfish and after the incident on Oogi he couldn't even imagine how suspicious his wife was feeling. But part of him just really didn't care. He was making the most of this one-off opportunity and no amount of guilt or foreboding was about to stop him.

"You should really stop dancing with me, Tenzin." Lin's voice had regained a slightly hard edge and Tenzin resisted the urge to sigh.

There was a pause before Tenzin nodded. "Maybe we can dance again before the end of the night." His hope wasn't concealed well enough.

Lin did sigh. "I don't think so, Airhead."

That was when she let go of him and exited the dance floor. The urge to reach out was overwhelming, but somehow Tenzin managed to both not do this, but also not stand, partnerless, in the middle of the dancefloor for an extended period of time either. He did exit in the other direction to Lin though. It would be better if he could find his wife without Lin being there.

He was grateful that when he made his way over to the buffet Meelo was stuffing his face like he'd expected, Pema chiding him softly, but with a barely discernable frown that didn't stem from their unruly son twisting her features. She hadn't noticed him yet, but Pema was obviously uptight and it did make him sad, just not as much as Lin walking away from him on the dancefloor had.

Instead of directly talking to his wife, Tenzin figured the less inflammatory approach would be to wrap an arm around his eldest daughter's shoulder. "Having fun?"

Jinora chuckled. "I'm not sure fun is the word I'd use. Are you?"

"I'm not sure fun is the word I'd use either." Tenzin agreed.

"Did you and Lin have a nice dance?" Pema interrupted, not trying to conceal her grimace any more.

It was hard not to shift uncomfortably under her accusatory gaze. "It was fine." He answered noncommittally. "How was yours?" He considered adding 'with that guy' and decided it would have been too far.

"Can we go home now?" Pema was going to be less than impressed by any interaction that Tenzin could offer her and of course the first step to making her feel better would be to agree, tell her "yes dear" and go home with his family.

But he didn't need to turn around and search for her for the image of Lin dancing with other men in that gorgeous dress to blossom in his mind. He didn't have long to weigh up the pros and cons, but he attempted it. Pros; he would get to spend the evening with Lin, hopefully a happy, smiling Lin. Cons; he might just about push his marriage over the edge. And it wasn't that he didn't love Pema, because he did, he _really _did, but Lin...she was just all that was running through his mind at the moment. He was almost surprised that he'd managed to come up with the cons.

He thought he'd done a good job of looking genuinely regretful when he sighed. "Raiko asked me to stay around, for the press. He wants a statement from each of the councilmen." It was a good lie, and he knew it, but then again he had been thinking of it from the moment he'd seen Lin's hair down. "You can hang around if you want, but I know you want to get back to Rohan."

Pema looked genuinely torn between whether to stay and observe, or to just leave. Tenzin was also partly sure that Pema honestly believed that Tenzin just wanted to spend some time with Ursa without having to worry about the feud between the two women. Tenzin really hoped that's what his wife thought.

"Okay, love." She agreed, giving him a weary smile and kissing him on the cheek. "I know you just want to spend some time with your friend, I'm sorry for making it awkward between you. Try not to be cynical about Raiko during your speech, either." She finished with a small chuckle.

And Tenzin hated himself, he really did. Because up until now he'd thought he wasn't going to feel the self loathing until tomorrow morning, or at least this evening, but his wife's innocence was just too much to bear.

He didn't hate himself _quite _enough to go with her though. Lin was still here, and he _did _want to see Ursa too.

"Still here?" Kya queried, genuinely surprised. "Pema said she was planning on going home."

"She has gone, with the kids." Tenzin smiled tightly. Lin had frowned at his comment, she always knew when there was something wrong with him. "But I stayed to see you," he stuck his thumb towards Ursa, "before you disappear off back to the fire nation. How long are you staying?"

"Just until the end of the weekend." Ursa admitted. Everyone was oblivious to Lin's slight frown but him. He'd practically perfected the skill of observing Lin out of the corner of his eye. "But I'll try and come back as soon as I can." Then she smirked. "Or you guys could come out and visit me for once. I can treat the kids with some real gifts."

Tenzin chuckled. "I'm sure we can manage it some time soon, as soon as things settle down here. I know Jinora misses having you around." His other children had been too young to really know Ursa before she'd become Firelord. "You should come to the island before you go."

"Tenzin." Lin's voice split through the conversation with a certain amount of abrasiveness, but the way she held out her arm, asking him to take her to dance, was much more fragile. Tenzin blinked and Lin shrugged. "You know I like this song."

The smirk that appeared on his face was natural. "I should probably make you ask nicely." He teased.

Lin raised an eyebrow. "I can go and find that 20 year old hot guy if you'd rather." Tenzin's smirk dropped off hastily, but Lin's only grew wider. "In fact, maybe I'll just go and do that anyway…"

"Shut up." He scolded, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the dancefloor. Apparerntly lots of people enjoyed this song, because it was practically full and Tenzin had to hold Lin particularly close to fit in. At least that was what he told himself.

"What did you tell Pema?" Lin inquired, swaying gently in his arms.

"That Raiko needed me to stay and give a speech to the press." He explained, his fingers biting into her hips particularly satisfyingly.

"Why?" Lin was pushing it. Tenzin wondered idly if she'd drunk, to be this brave with him. She seemed far too relaxed.

Tenzin gave her a hard stare for a moment. "You know why."

"Thank you for dancing with me, Tenzin."

They didn't speak after that, but just enjoyed the music and being close to each other. When the song, and the one after, had finished, Tenzin wondered if people would begin to wonder about them. As much as he wanted to keep dancing, this wasn't exactly normal behaviour for the two of them. "Want to get some air?"

On the balcony, Tenzin felt a sudden weight at their privacy. Lin leant against the half-wall and ran her finger underneath, a small smile. "Do you remember when we first worked here and I'd bend our names underneath these things?"

Tenzin laughed. "I remember. It's not still there, is it?" It was not worth mentioning all of the times they'd done much more intimate things than bending the infrastructure on these balconies. Tenzin knew they were both already thinking it.

Lin shook her head. "I bet there's one somewhere though."

"We'll have to go and check some time."

Lin's hand stilled and she angled her body towards Tenzin slightly, who was also leant against the edge of the balcony wall. "What are you doing tonight, Tenzin? What is this?"

Tenzin also turned to face her and realised they were much closer than he'd anticipated. "I don't know, Lin, you just look so beautiful and you weren't looking at me like you hated me." He sighed and allowed his hand to run through her long silvery hair. "I've wanted to do that all night."

Lin visibly gulped and Tenzin could only imagine what her seismic sense was getting from him right now. She angled her head upwards and took the tiniest of steps forward. Lin wasn't going to initiate this, it wasn't her place and they both knew it.

She was right there for him, though, wanting him to . Tenzin's fingers became far less gentle as he brought Lin almost fully against him and her face mere centimetres away. Her lips completely ready for Tenzin to devour. His heart was practically beating out of his chest now. He'd imagined this so many times. Various places, various circumstances, but always Lin, stood before him begging with her eyes for him to take her. Many cold showers, many hot showers that'd meant not being able to look his wife in the eyes until hours afterwards, had been had thanks to variations of the scene that was about to happen.

The balcony door opening made them spring apart like they'd been shocked. Despite their age, both had exceptionally good reflexes. But Tenzin highly doubted their body language was believable, even if they were no longer touching in any way.

"The President wanted to talk with you, Chief Beifong." Mako informed the pair, frowning slightly at the atmosphere. Tenzin was unbelievably glad that Mako, the boy who seemed somewhat lacking in picking up on emotions, had found them, but Lin's face had transformed into the biggest scowl he'd seen on her in a long time, and that was saying something.

"Of course. Nice to see you councilman Tenzin."

Tenzin didn't miss the tear that slid down the side of his ex-lover's face as she followed Mako from the balcony.


	3. Chapter 3

_New chapter! Kind of rubbishy and a little bit short, but hopefully it's still not too bad. The rating went up with this one, so be warned! _

Chapter Three

Tenzin hated himself. His wife was none the wiser, as he had realised when she'd apologised about making it awkward for him and Ursa, but Tenzin knew that he'd been a hair's breadth from cheating. And that was more than enough to incur a lot of self-loathing.

He hadn't managed to do any work today and it was already almost time for leaving. Greyness was beginning to linger outside his window and it didn't improve his motivation to start the cumbersome pile of paperwork on his desk even remotely. His fingers hurt from drumming them on the hard wood all day.

Home had to come soon, but there was equally as little motivation to go back to his innocent wife and children. Tenzin, ideally, would sit at this desk for the rest of his life rotting in self-hatred. Or he'd turn back time. He would take it back given the opportunity, he was almost sure. Almost.

A knock on the door barely broke Tenzin out of his stupor. But the person who walked through the entrance after a lack of response was enough to make his back rigid with attention. "You haven't filled in the form for that budget increase I requested." Lin snapped, not meeting his eyes, arms crossed defensively. They hadn't spoken since the incident on the balcony and Tenzin had been both dreading and itching for them to see each other again.

Tenzin stared at the pile of paperwork before him. He supposed he should have had enough common sense to actually look if any of it was important. Or if filling any of it in would have prevented the woman he couldn't stop thinking about appearing in his office.

Palms suddenly sweating, he flicked through the stack of papers. "You've not done any of this?" Lin asked, scowling at him. Tenzin didn't bother to explain that this was a build-up of paperwork from the past three days; the days since President Raiko's instating. "I don't remember you being a slacker."

"I'm not." Tenzin dismissed immediately, still flicking, the bitterness coming automatically to his voice. "I just didn't feel like doing it today. I'll catch up tomorrow."

"Why, what have you been doing?" The sharp tone in Tenzin's voice had only aggravated Lin further. He wasn't really angry at her, though. He was angry at himself. Lin was just an easy target because he knew what buttons to press with her. It was only a mirror match, though. Lin knew him too well, knew exactly what would break his usual calm demeanour.

"Is that really any of your business, Chief Beifong?"

Lin actually blinked at the formal address, but Tenzin continued his aloof act. His heart was pounding against his chest and no doubt Lin could feel it using her seismic sense, but he refused to let it show on his face. That was a small victory at least.

Lin's hands slamming down on his desk and her leaning over was enough to make him sweat and his expression break for only a second. "What are you doing Tenzin? I'm pretty sure I've done nothing wrong. Stop being a bitch for once in your life and sort me out my paperwork."

It was partly a tough act, Tenzin knew. Lin was almost just as shaken as he was, she was just significantly better at hiding it. Her hard face barely showed any signs of vulnerability as Tenzin found himself staring into it, but Tenzin knew where to look. In the corner of her mouth that twitched slightly whilst they maintained eye contact. Lin was just as scared of the situation as he was and neither of them knew what to do next.

The right thing definitely wasn't to lean over the desk and lock lips with her, but Tenzin did it anyway. He needed it. He'd been so close, he couldn't just keep going without knowing what it would have been like. It had been killing him these last few days and this was his chance to find out.

And it was better than he'd even expected, especially since Lin didn't push him away.

He deftly removed the clips holding up her hair and pondered just for a moment the fact they seemed looser than normal. Lin surely hadn't been planning this exact thing when she came to his office. This thought didn't stick in his brain for long, instead it was filled with Lin's body as she broke their kiss for a second to come around the desk and place herself on his lap.

He was more than ready to just take her, but he held back. Being able to finally touch Lin again, it needed to be done slowly and attentively.

Lin apparently wasn't of the same opinion; her hands twisted into fists in Tenzin's robes and she kissed him desperately. It was particularly difficult to even attempt being slow when Lin was this eager.

"Take it off." He murmured in her ear, referring to the clunky metal outfit, being able to only stare at the tank top he loved so much as it was revealed to him. Lin's foot touched the floor for only a moment, but he heard the visible click of the lock. In this lust-crazed stupor he'd not even considered that they were in his office and with his pathetic attempt at completing paperwork any number of people might be ready to bang on his door, just as Lin had.

Tenzin's attentions were returned to Lin in an instant when the tank top joined the metal armour on the floor. "Lin." He groaned freely, running hands everywhere he could get them and bringing them as close as possible, her entire body pressed up against him.

It wasn't long before Tenzin was naked too, Lin perched on the edge of his desk, giving him such a sultry look he thought he must be dreaming. Their sex had always been good when they were younger, even during the rough patches of their relationship, but this was something else entirely. Before, if Tenzin wanted her, he could almost always just have her. But this, this had been a build-up of Tenzin wanting Lin for a very long time and it was better than he could have even imagined.

Seeing Lin squirm and gasp beneath him was just too much for Tenzin to do anything other than pound into her desperately, grasping her hip hard enough that there would definitely bruises in the morning. That thought alone satisfied Tenzin.

When they had both found their release, unspoken things hung in the air, but both chose to ignore them as they moved from the desk to sit in Tenzin's chair, Lin curled up in his lap, her head buried in the crook of his neck. It was perfect, really, ignoring any external circumstances. At least that was all Tenzin could think. He just didn't want her to get up and leave, like she inevitably had to.

"Well that was fun." Lin's tone was surprisingly jovial. Tenzin had expected tears, or violence, not a joke.

He was grateful though. "I suppose it was okay." He replied. This had always been their routine. They'd wear each other out, but Tenzin would always feign ignorance.

Lin cuffed him round the ear and they both laughed.

It died out fairly quickly, though.

"I have to leave." Lin murmured, though she only clung onto him harder with that statement.

"You don't have to leave." Tenzin hoped that they could just stay in this position all night. He'd come up with something in the morning.

Lin shook her head, though, and Tenzin knew that she'd made her decision. Reality was coming crashing down annoyingly quickly.

After removing herself from Tenzin's body, Lin got dressed expertly quick and couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes again. "I'm sorry for coming to your office."

"I'm not." He replied instantly, though it had just reached the point where his self-loathing had amplified until he was tempted to just break down and cry, because whilst finally fucking Lin was all well and good in the moment, going home to his wife and children was something he didn't know whether he could handle. For all his day-dreaming, he'd never really considered that he'd ever cheat. It was his fantasy, not expected to be lived out.

But here he was, with Lin finally staring at him, an almost concerned look on her face. "It never happened." She told him bluntly. "And it'll never happen again, don't be so down about it. You'll get over it. Your marriage will get over it." It was straightforward and obviously hard for Lin to say, but his expression must have been completely readable.

"Right." He agreed, though Tenzin didn't think that would help Lin's emotions in the slightest. "I am sorry, Lin."

"Me too." She muttered, turning and leaving, slamming the door unnecessarily loud behind her.


End file.
